A Step by Step Guide to Mula Bandha
Mula Bandha has several different purposes and plenty of amazing benefits. It gives the body strength and lightness, the ability to align and move correctly and with great ease. Mula Bandha is a practice that isn’t often talked about, but it can help to strengthen your pelvic floor and improve PC muscle health. Today we’re sharing out guide to Mula Bandha to help you get started!
Mula Bandha is actually a Sanskrit term. Sanskrit is an ancient Indian language, better known as the “language of yoga”. In fact, you may have heard your yoga instructors use Sanskrit terms during their classes, the bandha’s being one of them. Next time in your yoga class, don’t disregard the terms. Although they can be tricky to understand at first, learning more about Sanskrit terms is definitely worth it!
DID YOU KNOW?:
In Sanskrit, Mula translates to root. This means the root of your physical body which is in the torso area. On the other hand, Bandha translates to lock. To translate it further you can also think of it as a bond or a connection. In the most simple terms, Mula Bandha can also be known as the “root lock”.
Mula Bandha helps you learn how to channel energy throughout your entire body. If you are familiar with the Chakras, you might already know that Mula Bandha impacts the root chakra, also known as the Mudlahara chakra. When you learn to positively connect with this chakra, you’ll notice that a wholesome self-image will begin to form.
STRENGTH BEGINS WITHIN®
Discover Gynie®
Why Should You Practice Mula Bandha?
Mula Bandha is a great starter method to understanding the PC muscle. It will help you build trust within your body. At Gynie, we believe that yoga can help you strengthen the mind-body connection. Bringing awareness to your body and to your breath while training your PC muscle can make your workouts more effective. This process can increase your self confidence while bringing you closer to your fitness goals.
Mula Bandha establishes a powerful foundation that enables your body to function properly. Mula Bandha is the balance of your inner self. It can help you produce life energy (also known as prana). Prana activates and energizes our organs. It also cleans and releases toxins and waste products from our system for us to be able to feel optimal.
Gynie actually uses many of the techniques common in the practice of Mula Bandha. The Gynie Trainer can help you bring awareness to the area you’re training, putting you on the right track to feeling invincible. Whether you’re interested in improving your sex life, putting an end to bladder leakage, preparing for or healing from childbirth, or just hoping to feel stronger and more connected to your body – Gynie can help you get there!
The 3 Bandhas
Mula Bandha is extremely important, however, so are the other two bandhas. In Hatha yoga, bandha’s are essentially ‘body locks’. By mastering all three locks, you’ll establish complete control over your body and build strength in your main energy channels. From a practical standpoint, mastering the three bandha’s is believed to help you control your internal systems and master more difficult yoga positions.
Uddiyana Bandha
Uddiyana is another Sanskrit word that means “to rise up”. This movement is very much about moving your energy throughout the abdominal area. Unlike Mula Bandha which is known as the “pelvic floor lock”, Uddiyana Bandha is known as the “abdominal lock”. The Uddiyana Bandha is great for strengthening the core muscles. This bandha energizes the third chakra. This chakra is called Manipura which is located above the navel. This is where the center of your power is located within your body. This area is known to radiate peacefulness.
Jalandhara Bandha
The last bandha is Jalandhara Bandha, it can also be known today as the “Throat Lock”. This bandha brings awareness and flexibility to the neck muscles. This is great for those that build up lots of tension in this area. The Jalandhara Bandha energizes the fifth chakra which is called Vishuddha chakra. This chakra helps us to better connect to ourselves. This chakra is known to come with reason and logic.
Step by Step Guide to Mula Bandha
As you can see, all the Bandhas serve a purpose in the practice of yoga. Although, it can take a while to learn how to master all the Bandhas perfectly, with patience and dedication you will find success.
To help you begin, we put together a few tips for channeling your Mula Bandha.
1. Begin in a cross-legged seated position. Exhale and contract the pelvic floor muscles.
3. As you pull the pelvic floor muscles up, feel the lower inner core muscles engage. When you are first starting out, you may feel the need to contract the anus and the vaginal muscles. Try your best to refrain from doing this. Instead, relax this area and focus on the pelvic floor muscles.
4. Mula Bandha can be engaged at different levels. You can give a 50% contraction or a 100% contraction. Try to maintain approximately 20% Mula Bandha at all times to maintain a good balance and posture.
5. If you are feeling out of balance or nervous as you connect to your Mula Bandha, turn your focus towards your inner self. Remember to refrain from straining and breathe freely.
Mula Bandha Benefits
There are many health benefits to the practice of Mula Bandha, both physical and internal! Physically, Mula Bandha strengthens the entire pelvic floor area. This includes the PC muscle and all of the muscles that act as a support system for the pelvic organs. Mentally, it helps you develop greater self-confidence and feel mastery over your body.
Today, we’re going to focus on three main benefits:
Mula Bandha centers the body
Mula Bandha is a great way to learn how to center and ground the body. Remaining stable, steady, and well balanced is important in our daily lives. Channeling your Mula Bandha can help you strengthen your core which will make it easier to remain centered and balanced throughout your day and on the yoga mat. When the body is properly centered it helps prevent future injuries from occurring. Injuries like back pain can be avoided.
Mula Bandha supports internal health
Practicing Mula Bandha helps protect the inner organs, supports and helps relax the pelvic floor during childbirth, and quickens the healing process afterward. Applying Mula Bandha practices can also help keep the uterus and cervix aligned and in place. Often, when women have a weak PC muscle, the cervix can drop into the vagina. By practicing Mula Bandha you decrease your chances of this happening to you.
Mula Bandha can give you energy
Mula Bandha helps you learn how to channel energy and internal heat to help you connect and unite your entire being – physically, mentally, and spiritually. Surprisingly, Mula Bandha can also have plenty of digestive benefits! It can help cleanse the intestine and pelvic organs, leaving you feeling energized and refreshed. Mula Bandha practices also has the power to improve the functions and general health of the uterus, lower intestine, and even the rectum.
Mula Bandha & Gynie
Training with Gynie can help keep you inspired and mindful of your practice. We took a holistic approach when producing Gynie. We worked hard to understand exactly how a woman’s body functions and what it takes to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles.
Gynie was created by Hanna Assad – a former bodybuilder, nutritionist, and mother of five! After life-changing events like pregnancy, women often search for ways to regain strength and confidence. Through our own experiences and reviews, we found that it is a struggle for women to get the results they want.
Hanna believes in the power of yoga. She spent years incorporating Mula Bandha and core training into her daily yoga practice. Because of this, she found a way to intertwine yoga practices with strengthening the PC muscle. With this purpose in mind, Gynie was born.
Like understanding Mula Bandha, Gynie helps you build a stronger version of yourself so that you can embrace your bodies potential. By incorporating Gynie into your weekly routine – you will quickly notice the difference.
STRENGTH BEGINS WITHIN®
Discover Gynie®
Final Thoughts on Mula Bandha
Learning about Mula Bandha will bring you closer to understanding your body’s capabilities. Everyone is truly capable of bringing strength and lightness to their bodies. You will find that incorporating these movements into your yoga practice daily will bring you mental and spiritual benefits that are both physical and internal.
At Gynie, we have a passion for yoga. We believe a strong PC muscle is the foundation for stability and balanced posture in everyday life. That is why Gynie was created. Gynie is the world’s first true resistance training system that was designed to strengthen the PC muscle.
By incorporating Gynie and the Mula Bandha practice you will feel the benefits in both your body and spirit. Our purpose is to shed light on inner core strength and the positive impact it has on women’s lives.
By taking this first step to learn about the different Bandha’s you are becoming that much closer to becoming the best version of you. We believe in you and know that you are strong, powerful, and capable of living your absolute best life!
Remember – Strength Begins Within ™.
STRENGTH BEGINS WITHIN®
Discover Gynie®